ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T's baseball team recorded its highest run total in a Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader since becoming a member of the league Friday afternoon as it swept a doubleheader from Missouri-St. Louis at the S&T Ballpark by scores of 17-7 and 10-7.

The 27 runs scored by S&T Friday exceeded the previous high of 24 and was the most the Miners had scored in a conference doubleheader since 2003, when they posted 32 against Southwest Baptist when they were part of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.  It was also the most runs S&T scored in any twinbill since last March, when they put 29 runs on the board in a doubleheader sweep over Upper Iowa.

In game one, the Miners (21-13, 14-9 GLVC) scored in every inning, beginning with a three-run first that saw the first run score on a bases loaded walk to Matt Knickerbocker (Bayfield, CO/Bayfield).  The other two runs came home moments later on an RBI single by Zach Bracken (Berthoud, CO/Berthoud), the first of his four hits in the opener.

S&T scored single runs in the second on an RBI hit by Tim Lira (Granger, IN/Penn) and in the third on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kaleb Reid (Smithville, MO/Smithville) before the Tritons (7-27, 6-17 GLVC) got on the board in the fourth on Derrick Freeman's leadoff home run.  The Miners got that run back in the bottom half of the inning when Lira singled and later scored on an error following a hit by Bracken.

UMSL tied the game with a five-run fifth, knotting the score on a two-run double by Jackson Dvorak. However, S&T responded with six runs of its own in the bottom half – all coming after the first two hitters in the inning were retired.

Matt Gruse (Neenah, WI/Neenah) started the rally with an opposite field single, then after moving to second on a wild pitch, scored the go-ahead run when Lira doubled down the left field line.  Jason Volkmann (Liberty, MO/Liberty) reached on a bunt single and Knickerbocker drew a walk to load the bases in front of Bracken, who belted Ben Luethauser's first pitch for a grand slam over the fence in left center to give S&T an 11-6 lead.

The Miners tacked on another run before the inning ended when Will Hayes (Terre Haute, IN/South Vigo) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

S&T scored three more in the sixth on a solo homer by Lira and a two-run single by Cameron Burk (Nacogdoches, TX/Cushing), then ended the game with two runs in the seventh.  Lira doubled high off the batter's eye in center for his fifth hit of the contest -- tying the S&T single-game record -- and scored on a hit by Keegan Baxmeyer (Waterloo, IL/Freeburg), who would score the game-ending run when Bracken reached on a fielder's choice for his seventh RBI in the first game.

The Miners outhit the Tritons 19-11 in game one.  Luke Marcheschi (Bloomington, IL/Central Catholic) improved to 7-1 on the mound, scattering 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings of work.

S&T continued its offensive onslaught in the early innings of the nightcap, scoring twice in the second on a two-run single by Brady Wildschuetz (Foristell, MO/Francis Howell) and putting five more on the scoreboard in the third when it batted around the order for the second time on the afternoon.

The third inning began with a hit and a stolen base by Burk, followed by an RBI single by Hayes.  Gruse singled and both runners executed a double steal to get into scoring position.  Knickerbocker walked with one out to load the bases and Baxmeyer followed by doubling to the fence in right center to clear the bases.  Baxmeyer scored the fifth run of the inning when Kaleb Reid (Smithville, MO/Smithville) reached on an error.

Lira belted his second home run of the day with a man on in the fourth, then a sacrifice fly by Hayes in the fifth gave the Miners a 10-0 lead.  S&T starter Brendan Garza allowed just four hits over the first five innings, but allowed back-to-back home runs to Tom DeCero and Dvorak in the sixth as UMSL broke the shutout.

The Tritons drew closer in the eighth, as an error with two outs kept the inning going and UMSL capitalized by scoring five times.  Dylan Dunbar (West Plains, MO/West Plains) entered the game in relief and retired Jon Hilpert to get out of the inning before Conner Forsythe (Farmington, MO/Farmington) set UMSL down in order in the ninth to pick up his fifth save in preserving the win for Garza.

Baxmeyer had three hits for the Miners in the second game as each side finished with 11 hits.

The Miners and Tritons will complete the weekend series with a single game Saturday beginning at noon.